Category Archives: Free Feldenkrais Mp3

Hi there, this is a free Feldenkrais session (often called a “lesson”) titled, “Rhythmic Tapping” from Volume Two of my “Feldenkrais Classics” series. By far, one of the best selling series on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais.

I had a brief email conversation recently about the ownership of certain Feldenkrais materials. For example there are transcripts of the awareness through movement sessions that Moshe Feldenkrais taught at Alexanader Yanai in Isreal. Someone wondered about the legality of teaching a version of an Alexander Yanai session. What if you create workshops or products based on Moshe’s Alexander Yanai? Would your lesson be considered “derivative”? Could you sell it? Can the International Feldenkrais Federation sue you?

It is important to recognize that copyright law does not protect a concept or idea, it protects the expression conveyed. The copyright holder of a certain transcript owns the word order and particular expression not the ideas. If you teach an ATM and put it in your own words – as you will invariably do – you then “own” (if you choose to) that particular work that you created.

This is a very important concept to grasp. The Feldenkrais Guild of North America does not own Moshe Feldenkrais’ ideas, neither does the International Feldenkrais Federation. They may own the particular transcript and word order, but that’s about it. They do not own any particular ATM or movement sequence. You can learn and teach any idea based on Moshe Feldenkrais’ work. It does not matter whether you are guild certified or whether you have taken a training or not.

If anyone tells you otherwise, they are confused or lying. Ignore them. Use Feldenkrais transcripts and ideas in any way that you choose. Do not copy the exact form or word order. But teach the ideas. Do it. The world needs this work and it needs your contribution.

If you would like to get a Feldenkrais session in your inbox every week, check out Easy Feldenkrais. The largest online library of Feldenkrais sessions in the word. You can stream them online, play on your smartphone or download to your computer. Or checkout my Feldenkrais Download store. cheers!

Below are some thoughts from when I was in grad school on how to reach more people with free Feldenkrais materials

“What I propose to you is a permanent engagement with those who think they possess what cannot be possessed. Time spent arguing with the faithful is, oddly enough, almost never wasted.” – Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

Free Feldenkrais!

While having some email conversations with Falk Feddersen, the man behind the wonderful Open ATM website, it occurred to me that I had never fully explained the meaning of the free feldenkrais movement, what it means to me personally, and to the work in general. Though I have begun giving away some of my work for free: The Feldenkrais Forty, my concept of free has very little to do with money.

What does “Free Feldenkrais” mean?

Free Feldenkrais is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”

The freedom where one can move in any direction without hesitation or preparation has its analogue in emotional freedom, intellectual freedom, freedom to express one’s self and ideas and the freedom to get Moshe’s work, and yes – your work – into the hands of anyone who is willing to try it. Free Feldenkrais is about the user not the developer. It is about preserving the rights of the user to have access to the work in any way that he or she thinks will benefit.

Respecting the Rights of the Public

Freedom is about the freedom to use the ideas for any purpose, to study how the ideas or a particular session work (if one chooses). It is the freedom to experiment and to develop. In short it is about using Moshe’s work to engender the organic develomental process of anyone with the curiosity to do so. Just as importantly it is about creating access to the ideas outside of any particular legal, cultural or training ideology.

Access to Source Code

Just as with free and open source software, access to the “source code” is a precondition for these freedoms. This is why I recommend not only distributing audio and video versions of the work, but also transcripts in the form of pdfs, word documents and rich text files (.rtf). Creating multiple versions ensures compatibility and the ability of an end user to modify and re-use.

These freedoms include the right to redistribute copies so that a person can help his or her friends, neighbors or another practitioner and colleague. Also included is the freedom to distribute copies of one’s modified versions to others. And the freedom to repackage and sell any versions – modified or not.

The freedoms above mean that “you don’t need a permission slip.” You do not need to ask the permission of any organization, trainer, developer or legal system. No one has the right to control the dissemination of these ideas. In fact, no one (let’s be honest) really has a clue as to the best way for this work to develop, grown and touch the masses. By giving away as much material as possible, it becomes more likely that someone will be able to do so.

Free Increases Value For Everyone

Feldenkrais ideas become more valuable the more that they are used. The more people know of them, the more they want them. The more they experience them, they more they will want to experience them.

Giving away materials does not degrade your ability to make a living and make a difference. It enhances your ability to do so, and it enhances by multiples. People who download and try free sessions will end up in your classes and on your table. They will end up wanting to know you. They will end up in training programs (for better or worse). There are people who desperately need this work and do not know that they do. There are people who desperately need this work and cannot afford it. Does anyone have the right to limit the choices of those people by locking up Moshe’s work behind copyright, trademark and exclusionary legal protections?

Actually – YES – they do. That’s their choice. But it is not mine. You do have the right to keep your materials or some of your materials under copyright protection. I do sell Feldenkrais mp3’s and other products. They are copyrighted and I have the right to do so. But I also have the right to disseminate ideas in any other way that I choose.

No one owns Feldenkrais

There are those who think they own Moshe Feldenkrais’ work. They are wrong. Ideas can neither be owned nor copyrighted. Moshe’s work is not patented and no guild, association, accreditation board or trainer owns the work of Feldenkrais. Not now – not ever.

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Feldenkrais Podcast Episodes

Feldenkrais sessions that involve the breath have a tendency to bring out a great deal of emotion in me, sometimes leading to spontaneous crying or anger. Have you experienced something similar? The first time I experienced it was during a Feldenkrais table session (sometimes called "Functional Integration"). I was young at the time, only 24... […]

I am at a coffee shop preparing the transcript for my weekly Easy Feldenkrais session and I had a moment of confusion when the transcript of Moshe's session said, "Press the middle of your waist in the floor. That is, press the small ribs on the right and left - the floating ribs." To me,... […]

I was really excited a few days ago when I saw that my longtime friend, colleague and fellow "Feldenkrais Evangelist" Alfons Grabher had released a new book: Feldenkrais With Alfons: Getting Better Day By Day. Alfons does what I do - travels the world (He is an Austrian currently traveling in Hong Kong, Taiwan and... […]

Here is a wonderful (and free) audio Feldenkrais session that you can do right now. No need to enter your email, just click below to play. It is based on a session from "Alexander Yanai" (or AY as they are sometimes called). This is one of my all time favorite sessions. And that has little... […]

Several Feldenkrais practitioners told me that they do not like the tone of the article below from the U.K. Telegraph, but I love it! Slightly irreverent and 100% positive for Feldenkrais (from my point of view). "I was seeing the best physios in the world – and doing Pilates,” he recalls of his injuries, yet... […]

Moshe Feldenkrais

Every so often, I get questions from people about TMJ and surgery, be it a disk removal or grinding of the teeth or what have you. I am not a medical doctor and I cannot give medical advice. But what I can do is review the research on TMJ surgery, consult with experts, and make...

I have not been updating the blog too much these days, but just wanted to let you know that I (Ryan Nagy) am still here and the TMJ series is still going strong. I also want to relay to a very strange experience that I had last year but that I am only now writing...

I’m in the process of pulling together my pdf’s and research articles on TMJ in preparation for writing a book on the subject of “curing” TMJ. I put the word cure in quotes as very often TMJ does not seem to be a disease as much as a process. People often have processes of clenching...